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Jet Set Radio Future – A Unique Style

This was a sequel to the Dreamcast game Jet Grind Radio. It was available in February 2002. The game transpires in Tokyo, and it was about an esoteric artifact that was pilfered. Gamers are in control of a character that wears roller skates and his struggle against the Rokkaku and Gouji.

I have to admit the plot was more borrowed that Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Ninja Gaiden combined, but people should not be playing Jet Set Radio Future for the storyline. The gameplay in Jet Set Radio Future boils down to using graffiti. You can also perform various tricks while airborne that are stylish; furthermore, executing a grind on a railing was as rudimentary as shooting fish in a barrel. Getting careless will result in being chastised by the cops, so players should be aware of these things. There are a variety of graffiti sizes that can be utilized that range from infinitesimal to awful. Jet Set Radio Future had visuals that introduced something known as cel-shading.

This was a technique that is seen in video games like X-Men Legends and X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse. It was done intentionally in all of those games to give a more cartoon-like appearance. Cel-shading is an acquired taste. Some people love it; some people detest it; some people do not feel one way or the other towards it. This is not always the case. There are games where cel-shading works poorly with the tone of the game. Fortunately, Jet Set Radio Future was one of those game that perfectly takes full advantage of the cel-shading method. Personally, I interpreted the cel-shaded graphics to be unique and original in Jet Set Radio Future. The little things like the birds and airplanes flying though the air made Jet Set Radio Future ahead if its time; moreover, the reactions of civilians as you approach them was realistic. Other effects gamers may notice are the sparks that appear when grinding and the blurry streak effects that signify an increase in velocity.

There is also some diversity with the pedestrians on the street. From the drunk to the somewhat scantily clad women, the game does have its fair share of characters that have personality to them. The real selling point of the game has to be the audio. Jet Set Radio Future had a soundtrack that was more than merely grandiose. There were over twenty songs that will make your head bop up and down through the duration of the game. The game had an up-tempo, rap, techno, and pop music that will please anyone. Jet Set Radio Future has a fairly limited multiplayer mode. Since the game was made during the early stages of the Xbox, it does not have any Xbox Live content. In other words, there was no downloadable content and no interacting with other players via Xbox Live. Luckily, there was a four player multiplayer that is playable on a four player split-screen.

There was a racing mode, collect the flag mode, graffiti mode, and a tag mode. You try to come in first place in the racing mode. Collecting more flags than your opponent is what you will be doing in the collecting flags mode. The graffiti mode (which was my personal favorite) is about tagging more walls, and the tag mode is about tagging your opponent before they do. There were some glitches in the game that were few and far between. Two conspicuous flaws that come to my mind with Jet Set Radio Future were the camera and frame rate. There were times when the camera was more disorienting than helpful. The frame rate does not come to a screeching halt, but it does mildly decrease. Overall, the game is a solid pick up and play type of game that will appease most gamers.